“Mani” is both one name for the moon as well as the name of a god within the Norse cosmos closely connected with the moon. In the Poetic Edda, it was told that Mani was the brother of the goddess Sol (the sun) and was fathered by Mundilferi (time). It is unusual in any mythos for the moon to have a masculine association. With Mani, we may have the origins of the man in the moon. Both Sol and Mani were seen to circle the earth each day in a chariot.”

‘Mundilferi is he who begat the moon,And fathered the flaming sun;The round of heaven each day, they run,To tell the time for men.’

“The Vikings told time by the moon, not the sun. The twenty-eight day moon cycle was a reliable timekeeper. Also, being seafarers, they were aware of connection between the cycles of the moon and the tides – especially around peak tides of the full moon. Incredibly competent navigators, they relied on the position of the moon, as well as the planets and stars to guide them on their voyages.

In the Eddic poem ‘Grimnismal’, when Thor asked the dwarf Alviss about the names for the moon on the other worlds, Alviss said Mani is called the ‘moon’ by mankind; ‘the whirling wheel’ within Hel; ‘fiery one’ by the gods, ‘the hastener’ by the giants; ‘the shiner’ by the dwarves; and ‘the counter of years’ by the elves. Mani, as a creation of the Aesir (gods) was consumed by the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarok (the end of the world cycle).

Within the Norse tradition, Mani is a keeper of time and cycles. When we receive this card, we are reminded that time waits for not one and that time is precious. To the Vikings, whose life expectancy was so much shorter than ours, to waste time was to waste life.”*

~By Stacey Demarco

Using time wisely is a valuable skill. We don’t realize until later in life that one of our most precious resources is time itself. We don’t realize how much we waste of it, and we don’t realize when we are wasting it how quickly it goes… never to be replaced in this lifetime.

Do you use your time wisely? Do you use it with mindfulness and focused intention? Do you allow for rest and recovery, nurturing of the body, mind and spirit? Do you value yourself and your time? Do you realize that the most valuable gift you can give your loved ones is quality time together?

Of course one of the most dangerous of time wasters these days is technology when not monitored. Social media, television, video games to name a few. Binge watching episode after episode of whatever catches your fancy. Escapism at it’s best. Comparing ourselves to others. Worrying that we may not measure up. Jealousy, envy, despair. Media, the news, the fear mongering. Politics… yikes worse than a horror movie these days.

Remember to unplug. Remember to be grateful for what you have. Remember not to get all caught up in other people’s lives. Or fantasy.

Get outside. Spend some time in silence every day; meditation or contemplation. Self heal. Cultivate self love. Reconnect to your loved ones.. eye to eye, heart to heart. Listening, laughing, removing the distractions for a time and just being. Intimacy. Fresh air. Exercise.